The Stewarts are honest, hard-working people
Whoever Chris Anderson is who wrote to this column last Sunday should be sued for his totally SLANDEROUS letter STATING that Dave and Theresa Stewart “ARE FRAUDS.”
I have known Dave & Teresa from two different paths and they are as honest as anyone I have ever known. Brilliant(?) Mr. Anderson spouts out accusations that are totally incorrect. He strongly stated they are living in violation of county codes by living in a shop building, with legitimate living quarters they built. Well if he’d have taken the time to investigate the real facts, he would have found that the permit they have is totally legal and is being, and has been, used by many other families in our county for years. Plus they have plumbing and electrical permits already in place for a new home since 2009 demonstrating they were doing the right thing.
The permit they have, allows them to build a shop with living quarters and that they would build a house when it would be affordable and timely for them. They were advised by building officials to do this because you can only have one Occupancy Permit per property and they need to save for their actual home. I investigated this issue with a county official and was told this process is legal and there isn’t any real time limit on this type of permit as to when they must build.
As it happens, one day your job is perfect and the money is coming in which would totally make it capable for any of us to build the home of our dreams. But as life would have it, the largest economic downturn since the Great Depression came along and diminished their Self Employed Global Distribution business’ income. This company was built by their dedicated work starting from owning and upgrading three rundown Castrol Oil Lube Centers in Spokane to distributing motorcycle and NASCAR racing oils, lubricants and other fluids. Then they grew much larger when they became suppliers of products to U.S. Defense Contractors whom they sold to globally. When the global economy went down so did their income. This loss of income and the fact that they were legal with their permits are the reasons they haven’t constructed a new HOME, for themselves. NOT BECAUSE THEY ARE “FRAUDS.”
I worked with Teresa (then “Lenz”) at Central Pre-Mix when I was Assistant Manager and she was a clerk in our business office and I met Dave when I represented our company and he was a hard working member of his dad’s Stewart’s Construction Co. I was there, when Teresa, at the threat of losing her job, turned our boss in for embezzlement that she detected. She kept her job, but our boss was fired. She later was promoted to a position in CPM’s corporate office in Spokane. I was there, when Dave was working for his dad Paul, and I witnessed them when they discovered sub-standard foundation soils on two occasions and without any hesitations they stopped their projects and excavated and hauled away the poor materials and, at their own expense, brought in and placed suitable compacted materials. Not everybody does this.
I was there, when I was a Lakes Highway Commissioner and Dave was a newly elected county commissioner. We, LHD, were in a situation where the airport was managing our property lease and were about to increase our lease fees, which then would have forced us to then pass on increased LHD boat ramp fees to help cover our extra expenses. Within weeks of being in office Dave (and staff I’m sure) discovered that the airport was not our landlord, but the county was and there are certain appropriate fees to be charged from jurisdictions to jurisdictions. Dave’s involvement was quick, clean and beneficial for our county residents and especially boaters by straightening out the proper fees and the correct landlord. This allowed us to not have to raise boat ramp fees.
I was told by Mike Patrick, Cd’A Press Managing Editor, when I was running for my Lakes Highway District Commissioner’s position, that when you run for office you really can’t defend yourself when someone writes slanderous statements about you. So, what about when you are no longer a candidate, like Dave, can he and Teresa bring slander charges against Mr. Anderson? I would certainly hope so.
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Dan Malcolm is a Hayden resident.